Having directed not-for-profit organizations with annual budgets ranging from less than $1 million to more than $11 million the Grumpy Vegan is in sympathy with much of what Tony Juniper, retiring Friends of the Earth director, has to say in this interesting interview. Here are some selected extracts.
Over the years, I have learned to be more pragmatic. I still want to change society and politics. But there isn’t now time enough to alter the fundamentals. So, instead of trying to reform the system, I have led Friends Of The Earth towards trying to change the way we live within the system.
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Then, of course, there’s the Government. When Labour came to power in 1997 it promised bold initiatives. And there have been successes, although the Climate Change Bill was brought on to the agenda only by the great efforts of Friends Of The Earth.
The Government is terrified of saying anything that will upset business or the electorate. We can do a lot as individuals, but it is laws that will make a real difference – and this Government is bigger on talk than it is on action.
In 2004, I asked Prime Minister Tony Blair why he could not do more to curb household energy waste. He could, for instance, insist on energy-saving light bulbs. His answer made my blood boil.
“We can’t act on these things until there is a public demand,” Blair said. I thought: What about the Iraq War? There was no public demand for that.
Of course, I was polite and I respect the way he managed to get climate change on the agenda at international meetings such as G8. But he let himself down with his lack of leadership on practical action at home.
Gordon Brown sees the environment as even less pressing. One day he makes a powerful speech on global warming, the next he speaks in favour of a third runway at Heathrow airport.
The expansion of aviation could easily cancel out the reductions in greenhouse gas emission the Government is committed to. Brown might think he can side-step this contradiction, but he’s yet to grasp the challenge of improving Britain’s environment while profiting from it.
Meanwhile, Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly has been told by Brown that transport is a driver of economic growth – which means building more runways, roads and ports. When we talk to Kelly, it sometimes seems as if we are speaking a foreign language.
David Cameron, on the other hand, has made himself an important force in green politics. He has put pressure on Brown and I only hope that he implements what he has talked about if he ever gets into power. It would be tragic if his green talk turns out to be no more than a cynical Tory rebranding.
One thing has not changed in the past two decades. Prince Charles has been an absolute rock of the green movement. He’s been told to stay out of politics, but he has done a huge amount to force big firms and politicians to take notice. He’s a commanding figure: when he talks, people listen.
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If we stopped trading in slaves, it was claimed, other nations would continue to profit from it. That didn’t happen and we led the way for emancipation. Now sceptics say China and India will continue to pump out greenhouse gasses regardless of what we do. That need not be the case. British technology could set the pace in halting climate change, with British business reaping the rewards of being world leaders.
